Review of the Samsung Galaxy Fold5: An Evolution Beyond the Ordinary

Important Note:

• The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5 is a testament to Samsung’s commitment to innovation within the foldable smartphone realm, bringing forth significant enhancements in both design and functionality. It caters primarily to tech enthusiasts and professionals who prioritize cutting-edge features and enhanced productivity.
• This device stands out as a promising hub for multitasking, effectively bridging the gap between a tablet and a smartphone. It boasts an elegant design, a seamless Flex Hinge, dual Dynamic AMOLED displays, and the formidable Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset.
• However, individuals who prioritize top-tier camera capabilities and a mature app ecosystem may discover greater satisfaction with alternative premium smartphones or by awaiting further advancements in the foldable market. It’s essential to take into account the considerable price tag and potential concerns regarding durability when evaluating this device.

Our initial insight into Samsung’s foldable smartphone ambitions occurred merely four years ago. Over the subsequent years, there has been a surge of interest in this form factor, with companies such as Oppo, Xiaomi, Vivo, and even Google venturing into the foldable arena.

When Samsung introduced the original Galaxy Fold, they were resolute in their determination to lead the industry. However, in the year 2023, with the introduction of the Galaxy Z Fold5, it appears that the company has embraced its position as the dominant industry player, delivering what appears to be an incremental update compared to the Fold4, which in itself represented only a modest improvement over the Fold3.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 Features

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5

Design

At first glance, it might be challenging to spot any noticeable differences between the new Galaxy Fold5 and its predecessors, the Fold4 and Fold3. Nevertheless, several key enhancements contribute significantly to refining and polishing the experience with this iteration.

The standout addition this year is the seamless Flex Hinge, a feature that allows the device to fold almost completely flat, eliminating any gap between its two halves. This not only elevates the device’s aesthetics but also bolsters its durability, shielding the inner display from dust and debris.

Additionally, the Flex Hinge enables the device to lie flat and securely maintain positions within a range of 75 to 115 degrees, greatly enhancing the versatility of Flex Mode, especially when utilizing the rear cameras for photography and videography.

As someone who has been using the Fold3 extensively for the past couple of years, I can attest that this new hinge design significantly enhances the experience of using the inner screen. It reduces the visibility of the crease and makes the overall device more pocket-friendly.

Moreover, the novel hinge in the Galaxy Z Fold5 contributes to a slimmer, lighter, and more portable form factor compared to its predecessor. When unfolded, the Fold5 measures just 6.1mm in thickness, and when folded, it’s 13.4mm thick.

Weighing in at 253g, this latest Galaxy Fold is 10g lighter than the Galaxy Z Fold4. In practice, this reduction in weight and thickness makes the Fold5 feel much closer to a conventional slab-style smartphone, a step in the right direction to alleviate the overall bulk associated with these larger book-style foldable devices, which can be cumbersome for many users.

Apart from these notable distinctions, it’s accurate to say that the Galaxy Fold5 remains largely consistent with last year’s model, which isn’t necessarily a drawback. It retains its IPX8 rating, ensuring water resistance up to 1.5 meters for 30 minutes, and maintains the elegant satin finish on the rear glass panel, providing not only a delightful tactile sensation but also an appealing appearance. Color options include Phantom Black, Cream, or Icy Blue.

However, due to its similarities with the previous model, the Galaxy Fold5 still grapples with some inherent design limitations associated with its form factor, including issues related to handling, dust resistance, and long-term durability.

In terms of handling, the Fold5 presents an intriguing juxtaposition; when folded, it imparts a sense of confidence in hand due to its slightly thicker profile compared to a regular smartphone. Nevertheless, the choice of a satin-finish glass back makes it rather slippery, resulting in occasional slips from the hand or pocket.

Another persistent challenge faced by the Fold5, shared by foldable devices in general, is the issue of dust resistance. While it’s a broad concern applicable to foldables as a category, it’s still worth highlighting, especially when considering extended usage.

The mechanical aspects of a hinge will invariably introduce durability considerations, but there is a silver lining here—the nearly seamless hinge of the Fold5 provides enhanced protection for the inner screen against trapped dust particles, a significant improvement.

Lastly, a crucial factor to weigh when contemplating a purchase is the long-term ownership experience with a device like the Galaxy Fold5. These devices are bulkier, encompass more surface area, and feature moving parts, rendering them more susceptible to accidents and damage.

These physical attributes are aspects traditional phones rarely need to address, but when you’re investing $1,800 in a device, it’s likely you won’t be upgrading it every year or even every two years.

For close to two years, my Galaxy Z Fold3 has been my everyday device, but over time, I regretfully noticed a hairline crack on the inner screen’s glass due to regular use.

It’s important to emphasize that not everyone will have the same experience, but it does raise questions about the long-term durability of this form factor when compared to conventional smartphones.

Display

The Galaxy Z Fold5 boasts two displays: a 6.2-inch cover display and a 7.6-inch primary display, both featuring Dynamic AMOLED panels with 120Hz refresh rates, ensuring a seamless and vibrant visual experience.

The cover display, although elongated and handy to hold, does have limitations for certain tasks, such as viewing most YouTube videos. However, it excels when it comes to watching content like Instagram Reels, TikToks, widescreen movies, and TV shows.

On the other hand, the primary display is notably spacious and nearly square in shape, making it perfect for multitasking and enjoying media content. Nevertheless, due to its aspect ratio, the visible screen area for video viewing is only marginally larger than that of the largest traditional slab-style phones.

Additionally, the Galaxy Z Fold5 offers support for the S Pen stylus, enabling tasks like writing, drawing, and navigation on the primary display. However, it’s important to note that the S Pen is a separate purchase and lacks an integrated storage slot on the device.

This means you’ll either need to acquire a special case or carry the S Pen separately, which can be a bit inconvenient. Furthermore, it’s worth mentioning that the S Pen functionality is limited to the primary display and not available on the cover display.

Camera

When evaluating the camera performance of the Samsung Galaxy Fold5, it’s challenging to pinpoint immediate shortcomings. However, it’s also a stretch to declare it as one of the top contenders in terms of camera quality. The Galaxy Fold5 employs the same rear camera setup as the non-Ultra Galaxy S series phones from the past couple of years.

The triple rear camera configuration comprises a 50 MP wide-angle camera, a 10 MP telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom and optical image stabilization (OIS), and a 12 MP ultra-wide camera with a 123-degree field of view. The wide-angle camera features OIS and dual-pixel autofocus, enhancing stability and focus accuracy.

For selfies, the cover screen houses a 10 MP camera sensor, while the inner screen incorporates a 4 MP sensor concealed beneath the display.

Regarding video capabilities, you can record in various modes, including 8K at 30fps, 4K at 60fps, and 1080p at both 60fps and 240fps.

Throughout various lighting conditions, a few noteworthy observations emerged. Firstly, Samsung’s image processing has notably improved, offering more consistent results than in previous years.

While it’s commendable that they continue to use the same sensors across consecutive years if it leads to enhanced software optimization, it’s discernible that the Galaxy Fold5’s camera setup isn’t the company’s latest and most advanced iteration.

In favorable lighting conditions, the Fold5 delivers breathtaking photos. Samsung’s color science has made consistent strides over the years, and the results are truly impressive.

Photos generally appear true-to-life but are imbued with Samsung’s characteristic vibrancy and punch, particularly in warmer color tones. Additionally, it’s worth noting that the photo aesthetics remain remarkably consistent across all the rear sensors, which is a commendable aspect.

However, you might be wondering what sets the Fold5’s camera experience apart from Samsung’s Ultra phones, like the S23 Ultra. There are two primary factors that distinguish the camera performance between the Fold5 and Samsung’s Ultra lineup: low-light capabilities and autofocus. While the Fold5’s camera can deliver consistent results in well-lit settings, the same cannot be said for low-light photography.

Details and sharpness tend to deteriorate significantly, and when the phone’s processing attempts to compensate by increasing sharpness, the outcome often becomes less than ideal, exhibiting unwanted graininess.

Autofocus also represents another area where the Fold5’s camera system lags behind the Galaxy S Ultra phones. This means that for close-up subjects in motion, such as a flower swaying in the wind, you may find yourself needing to capture the photo multiple times until achieving the desired focus.

Overall, it’s important to clarify that the Galaxy Fold5’s camera is by no means subpar. However, there is room for enhancement, particularly in terms of diversifying the range of photos and videos that can be captured in various challenging scenarios, which the current setup of the phone may not fully address.

Device Performance and Software Experience

Regarding both software and hardware performance, the Galaxy Z Fold5 delivers an exceptional experience that effectively leverages its foldable design and robust hardware. In fact, it sometimes feels as though the device is overengineered for its current capabilities.

Operating on One UI 5.1.1 atop Android 13, it is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy chipset, which is the same chipset featured in the Galaxy S23 series. This chipset is built on a cutting-edge 4nm process, boasting an octa-core CPU, an Adreno 740 GPU, and a Hexagon 8 NPU. It offers support for 5G connectivity, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, and UWB.

Additionally, the Galaxy Z Fold5 is equipped with 12 GB of RAM and offers either 256 GB or 512 GB of internal storage, which is non-expandable but utilizes UFS 4.0 technology, resulting in faster read and write speeds compared to the previous generation.

What do these specifications translate to in practical terms? The Galaxy Z Fold5 truly excels at multitasking, experiences minimal hiccups in everyday usage, and notably, it’s the first foldable device I’ve encountered that comfortably lasts an entire day on the expansive main screen. Surprisingly, it can even manage a day and a half of usage solely on the cover screen.

For avid multitaskers, the phone’s Multi-Active Windows feature and personalized app pairings accessible through the Edge Panel prove to be invaluable.

Applications can seamlessly split across the screen, facilitating drag-and-drop file transfers between app windows, and offering access to up to four recent apps in the taskbar. Additionally, the cover display serves as a convenient space for quick tasks and notifications, while the primary display is geared towards productivity and entertainment.

Additionally, the Galaxy Z Fold5 boasts an impressive update policy, with Samsung committing to providing five years of security updates and four years of major OS updates for its flagship devices.

This means that the device will receive future Android versions such as 14, 15, 16, and 17, along with regular monthly or quarterly security patches to ensure its ongoing safety and security.

However, my primary concern regarding the overall Fold5 experience lies in the fact that Android still isn’t a fully developed software platform for large screens.

While Samsung includes some fantastic app options that make excellent use of the expansive display, like Samsung Notes and Flex Mode in the camera app, Android’s app ecosystem still falls short in fully harnessing the potential of this extended real estate.

Thus, despite the Fold5’s exceptional performance, it feels as though the hardware is somewhat constrained from delivering truly outstanding software experiences simply because the platform lacks the robust app selection that developers would ideally create for foldable devices. It’s a regrettable situation, but I remain hopeful that as this form factor continues to evolve, so too will Android’s app offerings for foldables.

FAQ

Should I Buy the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5?

Is the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5 a Worthy Purchase?

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5 undeniably serves as a showcase of Samsung’s expertise and advancements in the foldable smartphone arena. The revamped Flex Hinge technology contributes to a seamlessly designed and more durable device, elevating both aesthetics and functionality.

Its impressive chipset ensures exceptional performance and multitasking capabilities, complemented by promising battery life, reflecting Samsung’s ongoing optimization efforts.

Nevertheless, these strides forward are somewhat overshadowed by persistent challenges, including a steep price point, concerns about long-term durability, and a camera system that, while competent, falls short of the premium tier implied by its price tag.

Additionally, the Android ecosystem appears ill-equipped to fully utilize the expansive screen real estate that the Fold5 provides, limiting the device’s potential.

The Galaxy Z Fold5 primarily caters to a select group of tech enthusiasts and professionals seeking a fusion of innovation and productivity within a single device. It excels as a multitasking tool, effectively bridging the gap between a tablet and a smartphone.

It appeals to individuals willing to overlook the high price in exchange for experiencing cutting-edge features and prioritizing multitasking versatility over camera excellence.

Furthermore, for users of older foldable models like the Galaxy Fold2, the Fold5 offers tangible improvements in design and performance, making it a potentially worthwhile upgrade.

However, if you place a premium on traditional smartphone usability, superior camera capabilities, and a mature app ecosystem, you may find it prudent to explore other premium smartphone options or await further advancements in the foldable market.